Catherine Beaton loves creativity, design, good ideas in action and workplaces that take our humanness seriously.

Cathy grew up in Hawaii, where she enjoyed the beauty of the islands and the multicultural mix of people that helped shape her appreciation for other ways of doing and being in the world. After graduating from Punahou Academy, she pursued her interests in culture and language at Stanford University, where she focused on East Asian studies, spent a year abroad at Keio University in Tokyo, and received a B.A. in Japanese Language.

After graduation, Cathy returned to Asia where she worked in the non-profit world in Hong Kong for five years and participated in and led diverse, international teams. Various responsibilities included event-planning, hospitality, leadership, training and community outreach.

Always eager to learn and explore new things, she could not decline an opportunity to live in Europe. While teaching English at Cambridge, Cathy discovered her growing interest in architecture and design. Design classes in London were continued at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where she studied before coming to work at the Max De Pree Center for Leadership in 2006. Cathy is now the Creative Director and eager to explore how the Center can contribute to organizational life where everyone is given space to be and do their best both corporately and individually.